city leaders say they can't afford anymore to put on one of the most popular parades in the country. nbc bay your's damian trujillo is live at christmas in the park, which could also go away next year. and what a testament this is to the tough times, damian. >> reporter: it sure is, tom. both christmas in the park and the parade are traditional holiday traditions here in san jose. but this could be the last year for both. unless there's a christmas miracle. >> what a beautiful day for a parade. >> reporter: they come from around the world to be a part of the san jose holiday parade. ♪ i won't grow up 29 years of san jose tradition. and the children's musical theater has been a big part of it. >> absolutely, it is a big deal on so many different levels for so many different organizations that participate in that parade. >> reporter: but it soon might

be curtains for the parade. there's no money to pay for it. >> we hope to keep it going. it doesn't look good right now. >> reporter: three full-time city employees put on the parade, and it's their salaries and benefits the city might have to scrap. >> times are tough. these are tough budget times. we have to make choices between community centers, pools, parks, parades, police officers, and firefighters. >> reporter: the mayor's rationale -- the parade costs the city a few hundred thousand dollars for a three-hour event. money that can perhaps be used to keep a community center open. ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ♪ it might not look like christmas next year at christmas in the park. not enough money here either. this is where the holiday magic comes alive. but the donation box in the park might become a toll booth. the mayor says the city might have to charge an entrance fee to bring back the exhibits next year. >> would you pay $5 to come in? >> definitely.

to keep it still running. >> would you pay $5? >> yeah, i would pay $5, yeah. >> see you next year. >> reporter: so enjoy it next year. because there may soon come a day when the music stops. and i obtained this memo a couple of hours ago by the city of san jose. it states that as of january 21st there will be no money or no personnel to run next year's holiday parade. so if i'm reading the black ink correctly, there will be no parade in 2011. unless, of course, there's a christmas miracle. now, there will be a parade this year. it's on sunday. it starts at 8:30 here in san jose. but you can watch it live on nbc bay area beginning at 9:00 a.m. back to you guys. >> well, let's hope that a white knight steps up here, damian. thank you very much. >> it's such a fun parade to do. we're all going to be out there. we certainly hope you'll be out there too. and yes, it could be the last holiday parade. it may be a little wet one, but we're still telling people to come on out.

nbc bay area's chief meteorologist jeff ranieri tracking the story. >> we may see a little bit of activity at the stt.ar ti'elllou coming up here what we can expect during the day there on sunday. but it does look like some of the heavies rainfl lil wbeil holding off at this point for that parade. now, right now the pattern is still activebeeer a as this sysm that's been with us fore five days now continues to push off toward the south. as you can see here, it looks pretty active for the bay area in terms of rainfall but it's mainly just some light showers, not coming down heavy from santj rosa to petaluma. a little more in bodega bay. that will be moving in. dry throughout the peninsu of san francisco. fsoinry dromry oaknd tola danville. a few spotty showers we've had had in the south bay over the past couple hours but mainly dry at this point and also clear conditions when it comes to rainfall. we have plenty of cloud cover overhead, though, iasth eet bay. what we're tracking for sunday for that holiday parade i eur o weekend storm. it's about 450 miles out

offshore. and with this, yes, for sunday we're tracking a quarter to a half inch of rain, wind, up to 25 miles per hour, and even more sierra snow. i'll have the full timeline on this coming up later on. >> all right, jeff. thank you. now, new developments in a sexual assault case that has stunned many people in the bay area. the suspect, a 36-year-old convicted sex offender, now faces charges for another crime. this one involving a toddler. he made his first court appearance today. tonight we hear from his mother. nbc bay area's marla taez was in court today when eugene ramos made his first appearance. >> reporter: eugene ramos did not enter a plea during his arraignment today, but in less than ten minutes he learned he's not getting out of jail anytime soon. 36-year-old eugene ramos was stoic when he walked into court today. from his tagalog interpreter he

learn he's facing three felony sexual assault charges with a prior strike. and his $350,000 bail is now set at no bail. >> he's obviously a danger to society. he grabbed a little girl and tore her diaper off and tried to rape her. >> reporter: the judge also granted a protection order, which means ramos cannot have any contact with the 2-year-old victim or her family. ramos is accused of sexually assaulting the 2-year-old girl inside this dollar store in union city on wednesday. in 2003 he was convicted of a sexual attack of a 7-year-old. and paroled after about three years. he is a registered sex offender on the megan's law website but with no address. ramos's mother, ida, spoke to us from behind her front door in union city. she told us her son, who has lived with her since getting out of prison in 2006, is a good person. she says he takes medication for schizophrenia and he skipped it.

>> so much sorry. >> you're sorry? >> yeah, i'm sorry. >> he lives in the neighborhood. >> yeah, two doors down. >> i'm surprised, yeah. >> reporter: josh gamos is shocked like most who live in this cul-de-sac. >> scared for my kids. >> whatever meds he was on or off doesn't make you want to rape a baby. >> reporter: that 2-year-old girl we're told is with her family tonight after undergoing a medical examination. as for ramos, he faces a maximum of 21 years in prison if convicted on all three counts. his next court date is set for monday. reporting live in fremont, marla taez for nbc bay area news. >> thank you, marla. not your average late-night bite. walnut creek police are looking for two armed robbers who were stopped in their tracks by a quick-thinking staff. two white men in their early 20s trying to tried to get into the panda express at about 10:00 last night. the restaurant had just closed but there were customers inside

still eat iing behind locked doors. the pair demanded to be let in waving a handgun. instead customers scattered and called the cops. police are still looking for the hungry and empty-handed robbers. a fence and security cameras are going up around a family memorial tafr was vandalized for a second time. a couple months ago someone stole several bronze bars from a statue that depkts a scorched uk liptus tree. the caretaker for the site says it was vandalized again recently. now he's hoping alarms, cameras, and thorny bushes will deter future acts of vandalism. johannes mehserle will remain behind bars during his appeals process. nbc bay area's lisa kim is in the newsroom are more on today's ruling and what it may mean for mehserle's case. lisa? >> reporter: that decision to deny bail came from a los angeles judge just hours ago.

mehserle is appealing his convicted and two-year prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of oscar grant on new year's day back in 2009. well, today los angeles superior court judge robert perry ruled that arguments made by the defense did not meet the legal standard for freeing mehserle on bail. specifically, the defense did not show a substantial likelihood of a successful appeal. the judge said he believes the chances of mehserle winning a reversal of the jury's verdict is minimal. supporters gathered at oakland city hall following today's ruling. they say the judge's decision marked a bittersweet victory. >> this will not bring back oscar. this will not stop police brutality in our communities. but as a community we are going to stand up and celebrate this victory and the fact that a murderer will stay behind bars. >> i'm happy johannes mehserle was not granted bail today. but i'm saddened that our idea of justice is being lowered to this that we're just happy he didn't get no bail when we were fighting for a murder conviction

in the first place. >> with credit for time served mehserle could be eligible for release in about seven months. meantime, mehserle's attorney michael raines said he will appeal or ask an appeals court next week to review that denial of bail. tom? >> all right, lisa, thank you. ugly and even nasty, quote unquote, budget cuts could come during monday's special session of the state legislature. governor schwarzenegger is calling for the session to deal with a projected $6 billion shortfall in the current spending plan. well, some democrats doubt much is going to be accomplished next week, and they'd rather wait until governor-elect jerry brown takes office. but a spokesman for the governor says waiting will just add to the drogue deficit. anyone looking for ways to cut the state budget is bound to look at the fleet of cars driven by california lawmakers. the state buys cars for legislators that they can then drive to and from their home districts and for personal use, too. the latest fleet cost the state $5 million and includes a

$55,000 cadillac and a $52,000 lexus hybrid. california is the only state in the nation to provide cars to its legislators for their unlimited use. the lawmakers argue that charging the state mileage rates instead of getting cars might be more expensive. well, get ready to get carded. it looks like the recently unveiled quipa card does represent the future of public transit. riders can use the all in one reload annual card to pay for fares on ac bart muni caltrans and ferries. but the popularity of the card is actually exploding up 43% in just the past month. the card only debuted six months ago. an average of more than 320,000 passengers are now using the card. that's up 95,000 riders from last month. still ahead, an air force spaceship is back on california's soil. there are rumors about its mostly secret mission. and even when times are

tough people will splurge on their pets. we're going to show you the new pet store that could revitalize an east bay neighborhood. and then reaching out to help the next generation of techies. ley. power grips silicon

express recovery? a part of oakland that needs an infusion of cash and optimism is getting a much-needed boost. bay area chain pet food express is moving into east oakland, and it could mean good business for that area. nbc bay area's christie smith takes us inside the new headquarters. >> reporter: barking in the halls is just part of the game at pet food express. dog portraits line the walls. office workers' pets are welcome. this is the new headquarters of pet food express, a local company with 36 stores. there's even a dog park here for

canine comfort. all tucked away near 85th avenue in east oakland. >> but we got a facility that was just perfect for us. it used to be a u.s. postal facility. and it's much larger than the old one. we're actually able to have twice the product in it. >> reporter: a huge warehouse for their healthy pet food and toys. a big transformation inside. outside a mix of industrial, redevelopment, and a neighborhood that's often overlooked. >> well, hopefully, it will bring more jobs to the community. that would be a good thing. but i was concerned with coming and asking everyone to move. >> reporter: she said she wants the flavor of the neighborhood to stay. pet food express created jobs at the warehouse, filled now, but three new stores are coming early next year. >> people are always happy about new jobs, especially now. we're probably one of the few companies that are growing.

>> reporter: even in this economy people pay good money on their pets. it's just that now the deals are happening in oakland. christie smith, nbc bay area news. our employment picture still in the doghouse. the labor department says the country added 39,000 new jobs last month, far less than what was expected. in fact, with more people trying to get a job, the nation's jobless rate climbed to 9.8%. that's the highest level in seven months. >> well, jobs are also on the minds of some mentors and students today at the women and girls tech summit. san jose played host to professional women and students looking forward to their first jobs. the summit is a three-day event aimed at giving young women the tools and the confidence to get ahead in the business world. >> and so it's really upon us to take the hardest math and science and engineering classes we can, really be up to date on what's happening in the economy, and put ourselves out there and look for new opportunities. >> now, the summit goes on

tomorrow. one engineering student at san jose state told us that when she took her first engineering class she was only one of five girls in a class of 40. well, viacom is not giving up. they're continuing to go after youtube, alleging they use copyrighted content. a judge recently ruled that youtube obeyed copyright laws. even though the internet video site showed thousands of pirated clips, many of them owned by viacom. viacom wanted more than a billion dollars in damages, alleging that youtube built its site by turning a blind eye to piracy. the judge disagreed, and viacom is appealing. youtube is now owned by google, and the company believes the lower court ruling will stand. dora the explorer back to being a happy camper. 14-year-old kaitlin sanchez is dropping her legal claim that nickelodeon underpaid her by millions of dollars. sanchez is the bilingual voice of the popular cartoon character dora. court records show that sanchez

did agree to dismiss the lawsuit and that she would complete future episodes of the show, which by the way is now ten years old. still no word on why that lawsuit was dropped. texting while driving is becoming such a safety concern that companies are now recognizing a business opportunity. an american inventor is marketing his new phone guard program to young drivers and people who drive for a living. in a simple download to your blackberry or android device phone guard will disable certain functions of your phone. >> the phone will automatically go to no texting while i'm driving and eliminate the ability for me to be able to text. >> your device's screen will turn red and also lose the ability to browse the web or check e mill. phone guard can be used as a cruise control device and will even send a courtesy message to anyone who tries to text you while you're driving. >> technology versus discipline.

well, a top secret unmanned space plane returned to earth today. it was sort of top secret. take a look. the air force's x-37b space plane land at vandenberg air force base in santa barbara county. it was launched by rocket from cape canaveral seven months ago. it was originally a nasa project before being taken over by the military. the air force says the primary purpose of the mission was to check out how the craft worked. >> looks pretty futuristic. >> yes, it does. >> well, speaking of the future, jeff ranieri can peer into it and tell us what the weather is. >> your mystic crystal ball. >> i was going to say i was checking it out just before i came out here, and you know, we're on the better side of things for sunday as we head into our san jose holiday parade. i'm going to timeline the rain fowl for you coming up. right now we're finding a few showers to the north bay. it's mainly dry. today once again some spotty showers throughout highway 101. we'll zoom in and show you more of that coming up later on in the show.

today's highs 58 in redwood city, 58 in los gatos, 57 gilroy, 54 in livermore, and temperatures in the low to mid 50s throughout the north bay, right where we should be this time of year. and most of us just dealing with that overcast across a lot of the bay area. all right. current temperatures haven't dropped much. with that cloud cover in place, kind of acts as an insulatoinsu and we're not going to see things drop too cold for tonight. now, the stubborn storm system that has been with us since monday is still here. it does not want to pack its bags and get out of here. but by tomorrow it's going to head a lot more to the south. and that will still keep a chance of lingering showers in the forecast. then quickly in advance of this storm system we're following another one here as we head into the weekend. this is for sunday. 494 miles out. that's the one we're concerned about for sunday. all right. as we head back into our morning hours tomorrow, temperatures in the upper 40s to low 50s eyre in the east bay. mild start after those frigid mornings we've had over the past week or so, and by 11:00 a.m. testified staying pretty

moderate with low to mid 50s across the east bay. so 3:00 p.m. on sunday, we are looking at the heaviest rainfall offshore, and then as we head into the evening hours by 7:00 p.m. that's when the bullseye gets close. so right now for that holiday parade it looks like some of the heaviest rainfall, we will miss at this point. but of course we're going to have to watch this extremely closely as that timing could change. right now we are finding some snowfall here in chicago. that may delay if you're heading off toward the east and you have a connecting flight here. otherwise, well, we're going to be talking about some more weekend rain and wind in your forecast calm coming up later on. >> thank you, jeff. we'll see you. keeping our kids healthy. the new money to help add veggies and fruits to your kids' lunch. >> plus, a red, white, and blue christmas. the patriotic push to get to you buy a real christmas tree this year. rgrh

it is the flu season. one in three americans has been vaccinated already. that's slightly ahead of last year's pace. the flu season typically peaks between january and march. so far this year reports of flu infections have been relatively low except for the southeast and particularly in georgia. even though swine flu is not the dominant strain this year, health officials say everyone should get the flu vaccine with the exception of babies under six months old. well, san francisco's school district is getting a little bit of financial help in its effort to provide healthier lunches for students. but nutrition act passed by congress reimburses san francisco schools six more cents per meal under the federal lunch school program. that brings the federal reimbursement to $2.78 for meals students in the program. the bill also expands the school lunch program and provides healthier meals with more fruits and more veggies. well, as you head out to do

your holiday shopping, the marines want you to take a minute to think of the kids who don't have a lot of presents. it was toys for tots day out in front of this san jose toys "r" us store. people dropped off toys and donations all morning long, helping us and sarah and vinnie from alice radio's morning show got the word out. >> we have about 100 different non-profit organizations that deal with collecting toys and donating them to children in need for this christmas holiday. we're accepting toy donations, cash donations, anything will help. >> it's really just a way for us to be part of the community. and hopefully stoke some kids out. because i mean that's pretty sad. especially with the economy having been beating people for what, two years, three years, four years now. and this is just a chance for us to give something back and give back. >> reporter: and we're proud of our tech and business reporter scott budman who was out this morning helping to collect

donations. fresh or fake sf? that's the question for families shopping for christmas trees. now there's a push to get you to go for the real thing. nbc's chris clackum shows us why. ♪ it's beginning to lock a lot like christmas ♪ >> reporter: naturally at a christmas tree lot customers have faith in fresh over fake. >> it just brings more christmas spirit with the smell of the live trees. >> i've never had a fake tree. my kids would kill me if i brought in a fake tree. >> reporter: but even though they still far outnumber sales of the fake ones, real tree sales have fallen in recent years. while the artificial ones have been on the upswing. so to keep the cuts in their business from going any deeper, the real tree industry is on the verge of launching a marketing and promotional campaign. basically, the 12,000 christmas tree growers in the u.s. are being asked to pony up theonpaa will actuaany be overseen by the u.s. department of agriculture. >> got mill snk. >> the same agency was behind the "got milk" campaign paid for

with a special tax on the dairy industry. and that's how it'll work with the christmas tree growers, who want it emphasized that unlike the artificials these trees are home grown. >> some of these plastic trees, artificials are beautiful, but they are shipped in from somewhere else. we've been a nation of consumers long enough. let's go back to stay in -- let's try to stay producers as much as we can. >> reporter: it's too late to promote the real trees this year, but things might be bright by this time next year. chris clackum, nbc news. well, coming up at 6:40, some kids are learning all about the joys of a real christmas tree. their very merry mission at a tree farm in the south bay. >> i like the real ones. and reduced to dust. a bay area landmark ctsappearing, one big chunk at a time. the big demolitio iannri s francisco to sy. and why scientistsre sos ciexdci toees thi foxy lady in

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and for huge value, try bounty huge roll. fremont and mission street looks a lot different tonight, monty. >> well, jessica, work crews have gone home for the day, but their work is far from over. you can see this big red crane here over my shoulder. it was very busy today. the stage of the demolition that started today marks the end of one chapter in san francisco's history and the start of a new chapter. with swing after swing from a massive crane and an 8,000-pound wrecking ball, a piece of san francisco history slowly came crumbling down.

dozens came to watch and to document the moment. for these kindergartners from live oaks school in potrero hill it was a chance to learn something new about the city's past. >> it's great that we live in the city and we get to go on field trips and see stuff like this happen. i think this is what makes a really good education, is being exposed to a city like san francisco. >> reporter: but childhood memories had long-time san franciscan debra jones feeling nostalg nostalgic. >> it's somewhat surreal. it's part of my childhood. i grew up here in the city. it's always been there. and just to see it coming down, it's a little emotional. >> reporter: the demolition of the 71-year-old terminal makes way for the new $4 billion terminal hailed as the grand central station of the west. the massive project will house high-speed rail, take up four whole city blocks, and includes the construction of what will be san francisco's tallest

building. >> this project's going to construct a million and a half-square-foot transit center with a five-acre park on the roof being a new icon here in the heart of downtown. >> reporter: these children will be teenagers when the new terminal is expected to open in august of 2017. in the meantime, debra jones says there's time to look back on what it once was. >> you always have a link to your past, but if you don't know your past you can't go forward. and that's what we're doing here today. >> reporter: and the program manager says very little of what's being torn down will end up in a landfill, that most of the steel and concrete will be recycled. this demolition's expected to continue through may and seven more years until this project is entire entirely complete. live in san francisco tonight, monty francis, nbc bay area news. >> what a spectacular building it's going to be. monty, thank you very much. as long as there have been prisoners there's been contraband, items they aren't

allowed to have. in the past the big items have been drugs and weapons. but as chris schaubl from our nbc station in los angeles shows us, technology is posing a new challenge. >> maybe i should have killed 400 or 500 people, then i would have felt better. >> reporter: one of california's most notorious inmates, charles manson, caught behind bars with a cell phone hidden beneath his mattress. corrections department officials say manson called and sent text messages to people in california, new jersey, florida, and british columbia. while free manson orchestrated a killing rampage. with a cell phone his influence could be felt again, fears state senator at ex padilla. >> my god. what else do we need to wait for? what else do we need to see? when charles manson has a cell phone in california state prison, we know we have a problem. >> reporter: while not illegal, cell phones are considered contraband in california prisons. visitors and even corrections department staff members have been caught bringing them in. 1,400 were found in 2007,

skyrocketing to 8,675 this year. for the past three years padilla has sponsored a bill to toughen the penalties on inmates caught with a communications device. and anyone caught trying to smuggle one in. the fine alone could be $5,000. he says the dangers posed by cell phone-possessing criminals should make getting a new law on the books a priority. >> we don't suspect. we know in fact that from inside prison walls inmates are trafficking drugs out on the streets, they're ordering hits. they're certainly controlling gang activity. >> reporter: cell phones are now illegal in federal prisons. but california lawmakers and even governor schwarzenegger have balked at padilla's bill each year. >> personally, i'm caught between a governor who wants a stiffer penalty and several of my colleagues in the legislature who are opposed to additional penalties because our prisons are already overcrowd enough. well, a 14-year-old boy he detained by mexican soldiers now

claims he's a hitman for the drug cartel, a hit man who has killed four men for his drug-running bosses. the boy is a u.s. citizen and says he was kidnapped by the cartel three years ago. he's been known around the world since a youtube video surfaced weeks ago. the boy was taken into custody when his sisters tried to fly to tee wab juana. authorities say the boy claims he killed his vimths by detap kating them, doing that because if he didn't the cartel would kill him. mexican officials say they will prosecute the boy anyway. as wikileaks maneuvered to stay online today, its founder julian asannage came under heavy legal pressure to surrender to british authorities. governments and hackers hounded the organization online after its release of thousands of sensitive diplomatic documents this week at the same time. swedish authorities revised a warrant for assange. sweden wants him extradited from britain to face allegations of rape and other sexual offenses.

>> in case he's arrested, he will fight the extradition from whatever country he's arrested in. and that will be through me and through my co-counselor, mr. mark stevens. >> assange's lawyers would not say where assange is staying, but he is hiding because he received death threats, they say. pedophile barbie? the mattel company, maker of barrie, on the defensive tonight after that doll has been mentioned in the same breath with sexual predators. an internal memo from sacramento's fbi office warns that barbie video girl that has a camera in her neck line could be "possible child pornography production method." the story's being carried in newspapers all around the world. the feds and mattel are rushing to say there have been no reports of barbie video being used illegally. sworn in as california's first filipina american supreme court chief justice by the

governor today. she said she can't wait to go to work. >> it's not a learning curve. it's a vertical climb. i take comfort in knowing the governor of this great state and the chief justice of this great state have faith in my ability to figure it out and to execute it. >> reporter: the governor calls the new chief justice a fine jurist and a shining example of the american dream. she replaces chief justice ronald george, who is retiring after 14 years in that seat. a new population of sierra nevada red foxes, one of the rarest and most elusive mammals in the u.s., has been found in northerncalifornia. inus augt a female fox w a seen in the humboattoyobi national forest in the far nth of the state. two additional foxes were photographed fourariles away in the stanislaus national forest. it was thought there were as few as 20 of the foxes left in the wild. wildlife experts in the area are studying the new population now.

>> they are pretty to look at, aren't they? >> yes, they are. >> well, ahead at 6:00, living a life of facebook luxury. how you could move in to the house that was featured in the movie "social network" that was supposed to be mark zuckerberg's. if you can afford it, though. >> yeah, that's right. plus the season of giving takes off with some south bay elementary students. we tag along on one very special field trip. installation behind one of the most well-known ice cream flavors is taking his story to the big screen. the premiere in the bay area tonight. we're going to catch up with wavy gravy. and good evening. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. a few showers, temperatures near average, 59 at san jose, san francisco at 56. we'll see showers linger tomorrow in the east bay but ou'rwe tracking a larger storm for your weekend. i'll have the details on when that arrives coming up. 'r

the oscar buzz is building for the movie about social networking juggernaut facebook. "the social network" along with its cast and creators is receiving high honors from the national board of review. well, the price of fame is being felt in palo alto. the actual house that facebook creator mark zuckerberg rented near the stanford campus is available for nearly $8,000 a month. >> ouch. >> a bay area realtor says that's about 3,000 more than market value but you get to say that mark zuckerberg once lived here. >> put it on facebook, see if you get any calls. >> there you go. he is most known for the ice cream he's named after but tonight wavy gravy is actually hitting the big screen. the california hippie, farmer, political activist is going to be on hand tonight for the premiere of "saint misbehaving" at the red vick in san francisco. >> the film tracks his life from the birth of the hippie movement

in california to the himlaia mountains. nbc bay area's mike anderson of the feast brings us some of the story. >> you have some gravy in your ear. this is wavy gravy. hippie icon, flower geezer, and temple of accumulated error. and clown. it seems like it was almost yesterday when ben cohen, who i call the ice cream cohen of ben & jerry, steps out of the fog and puts his hand on my shoulder and says we would like you to be a flavor for ben & jerry. and i thought, cool beans, dude. and it took two years and over 200 flavors were taste tested around the country. and the one that won, the most expensive, complicated, yet politically correct flavor known to humankind. it was a cashew brazil nut base with a chocolate fudge hazelnut swirl and toasted almonds.

and it came in a tie-dye container, as do i. it was delicious. it's kind of like cannibalistic. wavy gravy eating wavy gravy. and i sold lids on the corner of haight and ashbury to raise money for scholarships. lids, lids. i do have a car that shows i do have free ice cream for life. body by ben & jerry. and then ben & jerry went public and sold their stock to bedrock vermonters who sold out to unilever, which is this big dutch corporation, who immediately dumped me for not being cost effective. mrs. gravy said, dear, i knew you weren't cost effective all along. but hey, that's showbiz. as darryl enriquez said, you're not what you eat p you are what you don't poop. >> geez. you have to admit the bay area is defined by its characters. you can see more with wavy gravy right now.

just log on to nbc bay area.com. you can also click on the feast. it is our new site for the best places to eat, shop, and play in the bay area. saint misbehaving played nightly at the vic through thursday. laura behnke's here. mean the niners would like to have some wavy gravy to make them feel better. >> if wavy gravy could kick, they'd need him. the special teams woes. now nedney could be facing i.r. football and beer, that is a match made in heaven. but football and wine? dick vermeil likes the sound details coming up in spo rtth.s. details coming up in sports.

well, enjoying the holidays can certainly be a challenge for low-income families. some kids don't get to see santa or put up a tree. but up in the santa cruz mountains off highway 17 the patch and christmas tree farm won't let local kids go without. nbc bay area's kent willhoyt takes us along on the field trip that for some kids saved christmas. >> where are you all from? >> reporter: 'tis the season to be jolly, and that's just what santa brought for kids from trace elementary. >> i want an xbox 360. >> reporter: the last 16 years jim beck, owner of the patch and christmas tree form, has donated trees for those who can't afford them. >> it's fun to be part of the holiday season and part of these

people's lives. and particularly when low-income folks come, you know, you saw it today with these kids. it's really heartwarming to be able to -- >> we wish you a merry christmas. >> we got these huge trees, and we planted christmas trees. >> reporter: each student plants their own sapling to take home after the field trip. beck says the activity reinforces the experience. >> we show them how we plant the trees. and hopefully taking that little tree home will help center that memory in their minds. and you know, this is a really important experience for a 7 or 8-year-old. right? >> reporter: it's not just saplings. these trees are some of the 100 reserved for trace elementary to be gichbl to those most in need. >> many of these kids never have had a christmas tree, unfortunately. eight years. we've been doing this for 14. and it's a great experience. these kids come out, they're the

happiest little people. >> reporter: and with trees in tow -- >> are you guys going to have a great holiday season? >> yeah! >> these are memories that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. >> reporter: let the memories begin. in the santa cruz mountains, kent wilhoyt, nbc bay area news. >> thank goodness for people like that. >> isn't that wonderful? so sweet. speak of santa we have the big san jose holiday parade sunday. we need to talk to jeff ranieri about the weather. >> yeah, we need some good news. >> a lost pressure's on. looks like the heaviest rainfall's going to hold off. that is the good news at this point. when you said speaking of santa, what do you know about -- the grinch. >> we're going to hold off on some of the heaviest rainfall. so we're trying ore here but we're still going to prepare for some rain at the start of the parade. some weak activity a little bit of showers from the north bay to the south bay. most of it has been in the north

bay. very light returns just around trace amounts here from santa rosa down to novato and we're currently dry right now with a few spotty showers near bodega bay. let's get you into the current. mild compared to where we we were four or five days ago. livermore currently at 39. not a big deal. sunday that's the next round of rain and wind will be coming in from this area of low pressure moving here from the pacific. we're going to ramp up this rain as we head through the midday and afternoon hours on sunday. temperatures staying in the 50s at this point. let's go with the futurecast. 7:00 a.m. we're looking at showers for the start of that parade. then as we head through 3:00 p.m. the bullseye getting closer as we head through some of the heaviest rainfall. then 7:00 p.m., 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. that's when we do expect the heaviest rainfall to arrive on sunday. also breezy conditions at times. as for tomorrow morning mid to you upper 40s in the north bay.

49 at livermore and 49 in san jose. let's get a look at our saturday numbers. if you work during the week you can kind of sleep in and enjoy yourself. that cloud cover's going to make it easy to give yourself an excuse to be lady. 55 in san francisco. 55 in richmond. 58 in concord. the weather right now a lot like it is on the east coast in new york. oh, yes. 55 in novato. 57 in santa rosa. 51 in lakeport. morning time on the weather channel on cable. so the rain day is sunday and then a chance of showers here into monday. >> all right, jeff. we'll just keep our fingers crossed. that's all we'll do. >> it's going to be fine, people. it's going to be fine. >> yes, it is. we are needy for a nedney. >> you have been waiting to say that. >> yes, i have. >> all right. with that i will take it away. no rhymes here. the kicker's carousel is spinning in 49ers land these days. wednesday mike singletary

indicated joe nedney would be good to go for sunday's game in green bay. then yesterday the team brought in veteran jeff reed for that job. today reed says he's expecting to be here for a while. does not look good for nid's chances of bouncing back anytime soon. reed told reporters he believes he's the niners kicker for the rest of the season adding he didn't come here to play one game and be unemployment again. nedney sprained his knee against the bucs three weeks ago and thought he'd be ready to return this week. when he tried to kidd kick the knee started tightening up. good news for a raider who hasn't played since last season. chad schillens made it three straight days for the wide receiver. tom cable said he'll be a game time decision for the contest in san diego. he's missed the entire season are foot and knee injuries. what do football and wine have in common? how about dick vermeil? the super bowl-winning head coach has returned to his bay area roots by way of wine

country and as long as scott shows us the winning attitude can translate to the tasting room. >> reporter: the worlds of entertainment and wine have been a classic pairing for about as long as grapes have been crushed. i think the bay area's own film directoring icon francis coppola whose oscars sit next to bottles of wine bearing his name at his new sonoma winery. but wine spectators, at the source of that is another family business. >> my grandfather vermeil made wine, good wine, red and white. >> reporter: super bowl winning head coach dick vermeil was raised in calistoga then was raised and coached in various areas before landing in philadelphia for the first of three head coaching stops. his passion is -- >> i groew up in it and it's always been part of my passion.

>> following a playbook in part established by coach vermeil in calisto calistoga. >> the tasting room in the napa valley opened just last year and it's full of football memorabilia and photos. just like a young team, a young wine business also needs to establish an identity. >> people say how's it going? i say it's like a football season when you're 4-12, it's got to be better. >> reporter: but with family and friends around on the same team it's got to get better every day. lawrence scott, nbc bay area sports. yesterday it was all about cutting ties with several players on the roster as the a's non-tendered three guys including jack cust. today it was all about offering contracts. and ryan sweeney will be the benefactor. the outfielder and the team agreed on a one-year deal worth $1.4 million. sweeney is expected to be a starting corner outfielder next season. and 36 rbi last season. that was all before his year was cut short in july thanks to a knee injury. and last night the giants'

world series celebration hit the big screen. a private screening of a pair of new dvds all about the champs at at&t park. the first is called "the magic inside." it follows the giants through their division-winning season. the other is the official 2010 world series dpeevd. bruce botchy, ryan fabian, and f course the trophy all there to take it in. and one note. the machine pat burrell will be back again. $1 million. >> it's very good. and i know you covered the giants' parade, which was good. but now you're trading in our san francisco giants, we've got to tell you you have to start spreading the news for the new york giants. different sport. laura behnke is leaving us. we're not happy you're leaving but we are happy that you're going -- >> and we're proud of you, laura. >> she's heading to the big apple. the east coast. for -- >> great to work with you, laura. >> thank you very much. it has been great to be here. going out with the world series title. >> how about that?

>> just remember the little people back here. >> we are not losing a friend in san francisco. we are gaining a couch to sleep on in manhattan. >> yeah. and a nice hardwood floor too. >> good luck. >> thank you. he's been kicking butt and taking names forhe's got the ti ma match.h.w 's got the title to every five minutes, chase pays for someone's eligible credit or debit card purchase. [beep] chase picks up the tab. it could be you. chase picks up the tab. it's another great reason to bank with chase. chase what matters. sign up at a branch today.

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well, tonight at 11:00 with the rising cost of health care these days nobody likes a trip to the doctor's office but we have a secret that can not only save you time and money it could possibly save your life. we're going to show you how by simply asking three questions it could help you combine two visits into one. tonight at 11:00 after an all new "dateline." well, let the punchlines roll. tv's "walker texas ranger" is now the real deal. sort of. chuck norris and his brother aaron are honorary members of the famed texas law enforcement group. lone star governor rick perry made if official during a press conference this week in garland. mr. norris's texas ranger certificate will be put on display at a museum on his texas ranch. i think i'd rather go to dick vermeil's winery. i don't know. >> all right. field trip. that's going to do it for us at 6:00. we'll see you tonight at 11:00. >> and good-bye again laura. good luck. >> we'll miss you. >> i'm back at 11:00.